** At 0409 GMT, the Shanghai Composite index was up 17.17 points or 0.5 percent at 3,427.66. ** China’s blue-chip CSI300 index was up 0.37 percent, with its financial sector sub-index higher by 1.12 percent, the consumer staples sector down 1.35 percent, the real estate index up 1.33 percent and healthcare sub-index down 0.23 percent. ** The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.16 percent and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was weaker by 0.18 percent. ** Around the region, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.70 percent while Japan’s Nikkei index was up 0.76 percent. ** The yuan was quoted at 6.6235 per U.S. dollar, 0.11 percent firmer than the previous close of 6.6305. ** The largest percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite index were SJEC Corp up 10 percent, followed by Zhonghang Heibao Co Ltd gaining 9.87 percent and Tianjin Hi-Tech Development Co Ltd up by 8.1 percent. ** The largest percentage losses in the Shanghai index were Baotou Huazi Industry Co Ltd down 7.98 percent, followed by Tianjin Quanyechang Group Co Ltd losing 5.42 percent and Guizhou Changzheng Tiancheng Holding Co Ltd down by 5 percent. ** So far this year, the Shanghai stock index is up 9.89 percent, while China’s H-share index is up 26.4 percent. Shanghai stocks have risen 0.51 percent this month. ** The top gainers among H-shares were Air China Ltd up 11.86 percent, followed by China Minsheng Banking Corp Ltd gaining 5.03 percent and China Vanke Co Ltd up by 4.29 percent. ** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Ping An Insurance Group Co of China Ltd which has fallen 1.33 percent, PICC Property and Casualty Co Ltd which has lost 1.3 percent and Sinopharm Group Co Ltd down by 0.6 percent. ** As of 0409 GMT, China’s A-shares were trading at a premium of 30.39 percent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares. ** The Shanghai stock index is above its 50-day moving average and above its 200-day moving average. ** The price-to-earnings ratio of the Shanghai index was 15.21 as of the last full trading day while the dividend yield was 1.9 percent. ** In Hong Kong, the sub-index of the Hang Seng index tracking energy shares rose 1.6 percent while the IT sector rose 0.1 percent. The top gainer on Hang Seng was Want Want China Holdings Ltd up 4.66 percent, while the biggest loser was Ping An Insurance Group Co of China Ltd which was down 1.33 percent.